Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127775
.ยท .AMA Supercross SeriesS Round 7: Dayto aInternational Speedway SPRR UECO n (Left) Three-time Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath finally won the Daytona Supercross by Hond a. The Hondal1-8DOCollectlFox rider has now won at every current supercross venue . (Bel ow) Jeff Em lg (2) led the way at the start of the 2G-lap main event. Here, Jeremy McGrath (1), Ron nie TIch enor (969), Doug Henry (15), Damo n Bradshaw (28), Brian Swink (23), Larry Ward (6), Damon Huffman (10), Phil Lawrence (13) and Mike Brown (9) give chase. By Donn Maeda Photos by Kinney Jones DAYrONABEAG!. FL, MAR. 9 hen the 1996 AMA Supercross Series got under way in January, three-time Supercross Champion Jerem y McGrath declared that one of his biggest goals this year was to win the Daytona Supercross by Honda. McGrath had already proved that when he really wants something he gets it, and few doubted that the talented Californian would deliver come Camel Cycle Week in Daytona Beach. Aspromised, McGrath laid waste to the 30-man fie ld in th e 20- lap main event, scoring his seventh-consecutive win in a row and pulling further ahead of the rest in the series point standings. Never mind the fact that McGrath had never been ab le to win at the worldfamous Dayton a Int ern ational Speedway facility, or that the track was a far cry fro m the super-technical courses W that he is known to excel on. For McGrath, it was business as usual as he took control of the lead on lap one an d sp ri nted away w it h a 16-second lead over ru nn er-u p Damon Brad sh aw an d third-placed Damon Hu ffman. " I wa s p ret ty ne r vou s befo re th e ra ce," admitted McGrath , who contin ued to pull fur ther ahea d on the all-time su percross w in list with his 36th career w in . "Everyone makes such a big deal about this race. ' Daytona, Daytona, Daytona: they say. I wa nte d to win this one bad , an d I had to go out and get it." McGrath's win keeps his perfect 1996 seaso n record intact, and he remains the only rider to have wo n a 250cc supercross main thus far. His seventh consecutive win also gives McGrath sole possession of the record for the most event victories in a row, as he was previously tied with Bob Hannah and Rick Johnson at six. And with a perfect 175 points, few doubt that the remaining eight rounds of the series will see any rider strip McGrath of his familiar number-one plate. A record-setting fourth-consecutive Supercross Championship is definitely in McGrath's gunsights. Though it seemed like an eternity separated McGrath and the rest of the field, the race action on Saturday was anything but boring. Damon and Damon - Bradshaw and Huffman - kept the crowd on the edges of their seats as they scrapped over the runner-up position. For Bradshaw, the race marked the ret u rn of his early-season for m as he fen d ed off the repeated cha rges of his name-sharing rival. "I felt good ou t there, a lot better than I have at the last few supercrosses," said Bradshaw. "I've never really liked